The Huffington Post reports on the surprising origin of the phrase “God Bless America” in political speeches. Richard Nixon first uttered it in an attempt at damage control of the political fallout following the Watergate scandal, and it has since become the expected way for U.S. presidents to end official speeches, including President Barack Obama, who ended his 2013 State of the Union address by saying, “God bless you, and God bless these United States of America.”